Tom Ford: "I feel that fashion has become too serious...Fashion needs to make one happy. It is a luxury and should enhance one's quality of life." Ford also believes in, wait for it, "real clothes for real women." [Racked]

During the week ended December 19, people spent $5.5 billion on the Internet. That's more than has ever been spent online in a single week before. [WWD]

Vogue is already referring to Naomi Campbell's rumored wedding to Vladislav Doronin as though it were a done deal, and included the notional nuptials on its list of top 2011 events: "One can only imagine the stops Naomi Campbell will pull out for her upcoming wedding to Russian billionaire Vladislav Doronin. Whether in Moscow or Marrakech, all we know for certain is that this is the one invitation that even the A-list will be angling for." Not mentioned is the fact that Vlad still has that pesky first marriage to dissolve. [Vogue]

Anna Wintour was spotted shopping at the Brooklyn flea market (which is not actually a flea market, it's very fancy). Fashion editors! They do last-minute holiday shopping, just like us! [Racked]

"Mr. Armani is probably going to kill me," says Lady Gaga at this concert in Paris, right before taking off her custom-made shoes and throwing them into the crowd. [YouTube]

There are more rumors that Stefano Pilati's position at Yves Saint Laurent is under threat. This alleged fact is allegedly mainly due to an alleged lack of commercial success. "The sales department isn't really allowed to sell accessories without the clothes," alleges one anonymous source, "so lots of stores can't be bothered to buy the line. What's the point when the good shoe-and-bag sell-through can't make up for the ridiculously low apparel sell-through?" Among the names said to allegedly be in the running to allegedly replace Pilati is Haider Ackermann. (He's one of Tilda Swinton's favorite designers!) YSL's C.E.O., Valerie Hermann, allegedly attended Ackermann's last show, allegedly "incognito." But Pilati is also alleged to have recently renewed his contract at YSL, allegedly for another three years — an offer the company would seem unlikely to make, if it really hated his performance. [Racked]

Wedding dress discounter The Aisle New York, which works on the same principle as Gilt and Rue La La only with the added sales crack of the whole "bridal" angle, launched in August and is finally set to start actually hosting sales in early January. One of its co-founders used to cover the bridal industry beat for Women's Wear Daily. [NYTimes]

Monique Lhuillier has signed a licensing deal that will see the launch, in April, of Monique Lhuillier candles and home air-fresheners. These smelly things will cost $35-$80. [WWD]

Men's wear designer Michael Bastian is skipping the next New York Fashion Week, in February, and won't produce a fall collection. This is because he's ending his relationship with his longtime licensee, cashmere concern Brunello Cucinelli, and setting up a new company to handle the label's manufacturing and distribution. "We realized from a financial standpoint that we could operate on our own," explained Bastian. "This will give us a lot more control over pricing and sales — and pricing has been the biggest issue in terms of growing the business at retail." [WWD]

The Guardian's end-of-year fashion quiz is kind of funny. We got all the questions right except one about Lady Gaga and one about some British stuff. [Guardian]

Vogue's European editor-at-large (and the curator of the excellent Cristóbal Balenciagashow) Hamish Bowles will receive a "fashion icon" award from the Pratt Institute this spring. [WWD]

Victoria Beckham's handbag collection is limited to six styles, and the price range is a whopping $1,800-$13,950. But (no doubt thanks to extremely limited runs), the two styles that have gone on sale have already sold out. [T, Fashionologie]

Chinese company Trinity Ltd. is acquiring Cerruti for just under $70 million. [WWD]

Club kid designer extraordinaire Richie Rich was at a party in his honor that featured a "DJ" mannequin, dressed exactly like him and posed behind a laptop. At some point in the evening, someone kidknapped the Richie Rich double. [P6]